Why You Should Start a Career in Animal Care

Why You Should Start a Career in Animal Care

Guest Writer: Kim Cabatuan

Whether you’re a dog person, a cat person, or a zoo person – a career in Animal Care would definitely be something rewarding. Not only are you getting paid, but you also get to hang out with animals that you’re so interested in. The following are the things that you will be enjoying if you are indeed looking into a career in taking care of animals.

Spend the day with all manner of creatures

You, as an animal lover, will certainly develop intimate friendships with the various types of creatures you are going to work with. If that’s the case, then “a day spent with friends is always a day well spent” will certainly apply to you. This will definitely make you want to wake up early and get out of bed in the morning because you are excited to play with your new best friends.

Say goodbye to routine work

Gone are the days when you slump at your desk, work with numbers or files, wondering what you’ll get for dinner and look forward to the weekend. Any animal lover can definitely attest that spending the day with animals is way better than working in an office, in front of the computer whole day long. Instead of being buried deep in papers, you will be knee deep with cuddly and cute critters. You may earn less than the ones working at the office but there is no greater value than doing something you love the whole year round.

Learn more about the animals that you love

It’s one thing to learn about something interesting from a book or a website, but it’s way better to learn things as you experience them. By working as either a vet or a zoo keeper, you get the rare chance to learn the behavior of animals as soon as they happen. You will get to understand what a dog’s bark truly means or why a cat hisses when it’s scared. You will basically come to master the language of animals. Since communication works both ways, animals will also eventually learn to respond to you.

You are your own boss

Working with animals is definitely more flexible than office work. Since you are doing something that interests you, you are basically on a perpetual vacation. Vacation leave is still welcome, but you won’t feel as stressed as you would have if you were working elsewhere. You also get to do the things you want to do, and when to do them, as long as these are within your employer’s guidelines.

Lots of options to choose from

Animal lovers get to pick between being a veterinarian or a zoo caretaker, and under these career paths are numerous and exciting options. Under the veterinary branch, you can either be a doctor, a nurse, or a hospital assistant for pets. There are also similar career opportunities for wild animals. Under the zoo-keeping branch, you can either be a zoo keeper, a researcher, or other related jobs that are needed in order to run a zoo (a registrar, for instance). You also get to have the option to work for a zoo, a clinic, a government agency, a farm, a company, or (better yet) manage your own small business if you have enough resources. Average salaries for zoo keepers and similar occupations range from $60,000 to $90,000 per year, depending on your animal care qualifications and work/training experience. Similarly, veterinarians earn around $90,000 per year, which is about the same salary as physician assistants.

Just like any other job, however, not every day is going to be a fun day. Taking care of animals also poses challenges that may overwhelm you. For certain, you’ll be knee deep in physical work and there will be times when you are required to work earlier than expected and stay later. But all of these are not something that can’t be dealt with, as long as you have discipline and the right attitude.

Starting a career in animal care might be just the right thing for you. If you’re an animal lover, give it a thought. Thank you for reading!

Guest Author: Kim Cabatuan is a freelance writer focused on interesting topics such as video games, travel, and, most recently, animals. His favorite animal is the bat, since you can’t spell Cabatuan without bat. He is doing his share to help out people decide on a career in Animal Care.

Jeanne Melanson is just an ordinary gal from Nova Scotia, now living in Michigan.

Her animal family has included 13 Alpine Goats, 40 Chickens, 20 Turkeys, 3 Vietnamese Pot Bellied Pigs, a number of Turtles, 2 Raccoons, 1 Opossum , her share of Cats and Dogs, and a Bearded Dragon named Shirley.